Sound may be modified or controlled in three ways: It can be re-directed by a reflecting surface, attenuated by an absorptive surface, or uniformly scattered by a diffusive surface. The sound that we hear in a room is a combination of direct sound and sound reflected from the boundaries of the room. If a space is to be used for more than one type of acoustical performance, a need arises to be able to adjust the acoustical environment to optimally satisfy the needs of each type of use.
As buildings are built with rooms designed for multiple purposes, the ability to adjust the acoustics of such a room becomes crucial. There are many ways to adjust the acoustics of a room. For example, retractable curtains are often employed to change the absorptive characteristics of a wall. Adjustable low frequency Helmholtz and membrane absorbers have been employed to modify the low frequency behavior of rooms. Interchangeable panels have also been employed to vary acoustics between absorption, reflection and diffusion.
RPG DIFFUSOR SYSTEMS, INC. (RPG) of Upper Marlboro, Md. has sold a product for over 13 years under the federally registered Trademark TRIFFUSOR(copyright). The TRIFFUSOR(copyright) device consists of triangular cross-section acoustical treatments wherein each face thereof may be selectively indexed to a position facing within a room so that the acoustical characteristics of the particular facing surface are employed. RPG, the Assignee of the present application, typically employs a different acoustical treatment on each of the three surfaces of the TRIFFUSOR(copyright) device, most commonly a reflective surface on one face, an absorptive surface on another face, and a diffusive surface on the third face.
The TRIFFUSOR(copyright) device is sold by RPG in sets of triangular cross-section units that may be manually manipulated to cause the desired acoustical treatment to be operational. However, in large rooms and auditoriums, where acoustical treatments may be located in areas that are inaccessible to manual operation, a need has developed for an acoustical treatment system that may be remotely actuated. It is with this need in mind that the present invention was developed.
The present invention relates to a motorized and computer operated acoustical treatment. The present invention includes the following interrelated objects, aspects and features:
(1) In a first aspect, the present invention involves motorizing and computer controlling a TRIFFUSOR(copyright) acoustical treatment system. The TRIFFUSOR(copyright) system involves one or a multiplicity of triangular cross-section acoustical devices elongated in a direction perpendicular to their triangular cross-section and pivoted about a rotation axis parallel with their direction of elongation. One or a multiplicity of such units, of any desired number, may be mounted in a suitable frame side-by-side so as to comprise a generally rectangular wall surface. Each unit may be individually controlled, or some or all of the units in a particular frame may be controlled together. For example, in one frame containing 12 units, each unit may be controlled individually, all 12 units may be controlled together, groups of three or four units may be controlled as individual groups, or any other combination or permutation thereof.
(2) Where one desires to control all of the units in unison, each unit is coupled to the other units in a set or bank so that they are all constrained to rotate together to index their respective acoustical surfaces in unison with one another. Thus, the units in a set or bank may be rotated so that the wall surface created thereby is wholly absorptive, wholly reflective, or wholly diffusive.
(3) A plurality of such TRIFFUSOR(copyright) sets or banks are mounted in various locations within a listening room. Mechanical means such as gears and sprockets may be employed to mechanically couple the individual units of each set or bank together. In the preferred embodiment, an electrical motor is coupled into the gearing so that rotation of the electrical motor results in indexing of the different faces of each TRIFFUSOR(copyright) unit to the three possible positions facing the interior of the listening room.
(4) A programmable logic-controlled motor control unit is provided and programmed to coordinate activation of different TRIFFUSOR(copyright) sets or banks throughout the listening space. Use of the remote motor control units is particularly attractive where the listening space is an auditorium or arena where the TRIFFUSOR(copyright) sets or banks may be located in diverse locations that are inaccessible even with a tall ladder. In the preferred embodiment, a touch screen is provided which allows the operator to touch various locations on the screen that depict artistic renderings of the TRIFFUSOR(copyright) sets or banks and in areas of the screen where different instructions are displayed as printed words to enable the operator to adjust the acoustics of the listening room in an efficient, centralized and quick fashion.
Accordingly, it is a first object of the present invention to provide a motorized and computer operated variable acoustics treatment.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a treatment wherein a plurality of TRIFFUSOR(copyright) sets or banks are dispersed throughout a listening room and controlled remotely.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide such a treatment wherein each individual TRIFFUSOR(copyright) unit, set, bank or group thereof is indexed to different acoustical treatments through the use of a motor and transmission.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide such a treatment wherein a computer is programmed to facilitate adjustments of the indexing of each TRIFFUSOR(copyright) unit, set, bank or group and a touch screen is employed to permit actuation.
These and other objects, aspects and features of the present invention will be better understood from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment when read in conjunction with the appended drawing figures.